Steinhart Ocean One Vintage - First impressions

[Travelller]

The newest addition to my small collection of divers is Steinhart's Ocean One Vintage. Although the "O1V" hit the market on December 6th, many interesting threads have already popped up so I'd just like to give you a quick introduction to this pretty cool homage!


click-the-pics for hi-res goodness

Steinhart is a small (15-employee) company in Augsburg Germany mainly working with "homages" or "tributes" to popular watches of the past and present. The [de-]merit of homages will not be discussed at length here; personally, I wouldn't buy anything that represents a "current" model, but tributes to vintage models work for me. Speaking of which, the Rolex 6200 was, without a doubt, Steinhart's inspiration for the O1V. No, not the 6538 "Bond" watch, but one of the very first Submariners, introduced in 1954. The 6200 is basically the 6204 (first Submariner) with the 6150's (Explorer) 3-6-9 dial. Other common traits shared with the 6200 is the old [bezel-]groove style and lack of graduation markings on the bezel. While the 6538 is considered the de facto "big crown", the 6200 [6204] where the first.



While Steinhart works mostly with stock movements from big manufactures such as ETA, they now have a few customized models which are heavily based on "classic" ETA models (or clones there of). The O1V is the first Steinhart watch to make use of their new "ST.5" movement, which is based on ETA's 2824-2 (or clones there of). Steinhart's done a great job decorating the platine and rotor. Another nice feature of the movement is the [inherited] hacking seconds feature. Less exciting however is the fact that the ST.5 uses the most basic components, such as Incabloc's entry-level NOVODIAC shock absorber and standard balance wheel. This doesn't exactly help to support O1V's higher price tag, relative to its other Ocean series models... .


c/o Steinhart

O1V Stats:

• 42.0 x 16 mm (52mm lug2lug) satin SS case with decorated solid case-back, unidirectional SS diver's bezel
• Steinhart ST.5 automatic movement with ?h power reserve, hacking seconds
• Domed sapphire crystal, double-inner-coated AR
• Water-resistant to 300M (30ATM), screw-in crown with red "verification" sleeve
• "Sterile" matte-black dial with "patina" Super-LumiNova [gold-framed] hands and indices
• SS bracelet w/ safety clasp (22mm lug-width)

My First Impressions are very good, from the excellent design to the quality fit & finish, not to mention excellent packaging for safe passage. Despite (or because of) their company's small size, the customer experience was excellent, from the ordering process to shipping as well as their prompt attention to my followup questions. Despite the basic movement, my unit has been relatively steady at +5s/daily which is very good for any level movement, much less an economic design like the ST.5. Many have questioned Steinhart in the past for their decision to go with a 42mm case - as well as the lug-curvature (or lack there of) for their Ocean line; this is my first Ocean so I cannot compare, but the O1V has new lines and sits very nicely on my 6.75" wrist. The domed sapphire crystal is certainly a highlight of the O1V and while not quite a T-19/39 super-dome, it goes a long way to give the O1V that vintage flavor! Had I been on the design team, I would have vetoed the red triangle (and gone with a white one) as well as the red crown-tube sleeve. These were not present on the 6200 and although the O1V doesn't promise a 1to1 with any specific vintage piece, the use of many of the 6200's great attributes is what made the O1V the right first "homage" for me!



check-1-2-3-check...


Great combination of a matt dial, gold-framed hands and patina lume...


... but the color(s) of the charged lume is not my favorite, tbh...


The "Big Crown" rulz




A nod to the Bond Rolex...


The super-like dome oozes vintage...


A departure from the Ocean-series' straight lugs...




O1V vs. 16600...




Sizing it all up: 44mm S.A.R., 42mm O1V and 40mm SD


All lumed up...

[cjohns]

I like it!!Would look great on a red/black Nato!Do they sell these in the US??

[jvo300]

Thanks. Great review. Not my cup of tea though.

[mps354]

Great review...I go back and forth on this one.

[One Ping Only]

Originally Posted by cjohns

I like it!!Would look great on a red/black Nato!Do they sell these in the US??

You can order direct from Steinhart and have it shipped.

[Travelller]

Thanks

Some wrist shots...

[mailman]

Great pics I see on Steinhart's website it weighs 190g. Is it a noticeable difference from your SD on a bracelet?

[tinger]

I like it a lot.. too bad its too large for me @ 52mm lug/lug

[mailman]

Originally Posted by tinger

I like it a lot.. too bad its too large for me @ 52mm lug/lug

That's what I'm wondering. I have large hands/wrists too.

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by mailman

Great pics I see on Steinhart's website it weighs 190g. Is it a noticeable difference from your SD on a bracelet?

Thx
It's hard to say tbh because I haven't worn my SD on OEM steel in a long time (still on the NATO / rubberB craze ) I'm used to & even like heavy gear; once you put on a 217g watch (my 45mm S.A.R. pictured above) then even the 190g O1V isn't a big deal. It's actually the opposite now; sometimes I catch myself checking to see if my lightweight SD + NATO is still on my wrist...

[mailman]

Originally Posted by Travelller

Thx
It's hard to say tbh because I haven't worn my SD on OEM steel in a long time (still on the NATO / rubberB craze ) I'm used to & even like heavy gear; once you put on a 217g watch (my 45mm S.A.R. pictured above) then even the 190g O1V isn't a big deal. It's actually the opposite now; sometimes I catch myself checking to see if my lightweight SD + NATO is still on my wrist...

Thank you

[Travelller]

Someone noted their concern of the O1V's "16mm" thickness, but having noticed that it "sits" just as good (if not better) than my 16600 I decided to do some measuring. I used calipers to determine the overall thickness is 15.56mm (O1V) / 14.6mm (16600). Using "accurate estimations" based on my own photographs, I came up with this breakdown:

Area O1V 16600*
Caseback* 3.4 4.1
Case 5.1 5.3
Bezel 4.2 4.6
Crystal 2.8 0.7
Totals 15.5 14.7



Clearly it's the crystal that makes the O1V thicker, but every other component is actually thinner. If you think that 2.8mm is pretty radical for a crystal, the domed crystal of "historical" 1950 Panerais are an impressive 3.4mm ... !

*Keep in mind that a 16600 is not comparable to a 14060 / 5513 which are thinner as there is no HEV. Also note that for the O1V I included the slight case "lip" that mates with the caseback as part of the caseback measurements. Finally, crystal measurements are obviously only for the visible section and is not an indication of true crystal thickness.

[Travelller]

Someone noted their concern of the O1V's "16mm" thickness, but having noticed that it "sits" just as good (if not better) than my 16600 I decided to to some measuring. I used calipers to determine the overall thickness is 15.56mm (O1V) / 14.6mm (16600). Using "accurate estimations" based on my own photographs, I came up with this breakdown:

Area O1V 16600*
Caseback* 3.4 4.1
Case 5.1 5.3
Bezel 4.2 4.6
Crystal 2.8 0.7
Totals 15.5 14.7



Clearly it's the crystal that makes the O1V thicker, but every other component is actually thinner. If you think that 2.8mm is pretty radical for a crystal, the domed crystal of "historical" 1950 Panerais are an impressive 3.4mm ... !

*Keep in mind that a 16600 is not comparable to a 14060 / 5513 which are thinner as there is no HEV. Also note that for the O1V I included the slight case "lip" that mates with the caseback as part of the caseback measurements. Finally, crystal measurements are obviously only for the visible section and is not an indication of true crystal thickness.

[Travelller]

In action...

[p_mcgee]

I like it.

[vintagewaferthin]

It does look nice.

[Noonan]

I've had one of these for a bit over a week and love it. Here's a poor quality office pic of mine.

[Vincent65]

Great review and photos - I can see why it appeals, although I don't think I'd go that route.
Enjoy.

[dysondiver]

it looks great ,,, love the domed saphire crystal too ,,, bit big for me , but it will suit many , great review too.

[Tokyo Time]

Great review and beautiful retro look on this. If I bought this I would inevitably start lusting after a vintage Sub and end up giving this away once I got it so I'll save a step and refrain on this.

[Travelller]

Thx everyone

Originally Posted by Noonan

I've had one of these for a bit over a week and love it...

Congrats

Originally Posted by Vincent65

...I don't think I'd go that route...

I hear you ... I might not go that route either if I had a 1675, 1680 & 16600...

Originally Posted by Tokyo Time

...If I bought this I would inevitably start lusting after a vintage Sub and end up giving this away once I got it so I'll save a step and refrain on this.

Cool, please be sure to post when you take delivery of your sterile 6200...

c/o Bernhard

[Travelller]

FWIW, I just got their OVM (Ocean Vintage Military). I'll let you guess what famous Submariner it's based on...

It's without a doubt another excellent build by Steinhart - I love the fully-graduated bezel not to mention the over-sized plots and the sword hands too! But if I had to choose one (and given the fact that I own an SD)... it would be the O1V; that Explorer dial and beautiful dome really makes it a very unique and special homage

[Andad]

Are they still being made by Grovana?

[Travelller]

Originally Posted by directioneng

Are they still being made by Grovana?

Not since like 2008... . They have a partner in CH to assemble the watches, but parts are being manufactured by / sourced from various companies (case, crystal, etc.). I'll have to assume said CH partner also builds their modded movements like the O1V's ST.5.

[Psmith]

Nice looking pieces. I would ideally like a sterile dial, and then add some scratches and minor dings to really give it that vintage professional watch vibe

[Travelller]

Thx Clive
I'm guessing the scratches will build up on their own...

And now with the guest of honor...

[Psmith]

Originally Posted by Travelller

Thx Clive
I'm guessing the scratches will build up on their own...

And now with the guest of honor...

Indeed - the 'lived in' look will only enhance the appearance

The SD makes for a great trio
.

MKII's Nassau has a similar look to the Steinhart

[Travelller]

OVM... in action

[Jakx]

MilSub is great and so is the SAR! very good tastes!

[eeh100773]

I like them. Not so much for me, but I am targeting one as a gift for nephew's high school graduation.


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